Bottle crown



Aug. 11, 1970 c. FJCURRY BOTTLE'CROWN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 13, 1967 I INVENTOR CHARLES F. CURRY Aug. 11, 1970 Filed Dec. 13. 1967 c; F. CURRY BOTTLE cnown 2 Sheets-$heet 2'3 INVENTOR CHARLES F CURRY ATT'Y.

. US. Cl. 215-39 United. States Patent 3,523,624 BOTTLE CROWN Charles F. Curry, Wilmington, Del., assignor to Continental Can Company Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 690,287 Int. Cl. B6511 41/10 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A crown for application to a bottle having a crown retention means formed about the pouring lip thereof. The crown includes a peripheral flange having a vertical web and a horizontal web of which the latter terminates in a downwardly and outwardly inclined lip. Radially projecting ridges are formed in the flange extending between the vertical and horizontal webs and terminating in the horizontal web at the bend line along which the lip is inclined so that the latter is free of the ridges. Thelip assumes an inwardly and downwardly inclined attitude when the crown is applied on the bottle.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION Field of the invention The present invention relates to crowns used in sealing the pouring opening of a bottle and, more particularly, to a new and improved crown provided with means for providing a protective surface which facilitates the handling of a bottle when the crown is applied thereon.

The prior art Heretofore crowns have been constructed so that a sharp ridged edge is exposed when applied to a bottle. The sharp edge may cause injury to the user especially when the crown is of the twist-off type requiring that it be grasped between the fingers for manual removal. More over, the ridges of these prior crowns have projected outwardly from the bottle forming a ledge. This ledge frequently becomes engaged with processing and handling equipment or packaging cartons so that the crown may be accidentally removed by engagement with another object or it may damage the equipment or carton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION By the present invention it is proposed to overcome the difliculties encountered heretofore by providing a crown with a downwardly and outwardly inclined peripheral protective lip along the terminal end of the depending flange of the crown. The crown flange is formed with the usual radial ridges which terminate along a line spaced from the terminal end so that the lip is smooth and free of the ridges. Upon application of the crown to the bottle, the protective lip assumes an inwardly inclined attitude with the terminal edge thereof facing generally inwardly toward the bottle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of the crown embodying the structure of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a greatly enlarged elevational view of the crown with one end portion shown in cross-section at one end of the ridges and the opposite end portion shown in cross-section between the ridges;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the crown shown applied to the pouring lip of a bottle having a retention bead means of the type requiring a pry-off bottle opener to remove the crown;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the crown applied to the pouring lip having a 3,523,624 Patented Aug. 11, 1970 FIG. 5 is an elevation of the crown and bottle top assembly shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a crown 10 comprising generally a top 11 and a depending flange 12. Adhered to the underside of the top 11 is a sealing gasket 15 which may be of suitable structure. The flange 12 is formed with a substantially vertical web 14 from which there extends a substantially horizontal web 16. Radially and outwardly projecting ridges 17 are formed in the flange 12 to corrugate the same. The ridges 16 each include a peak 18 which is inclined generally downwardly and outwardly between the vertical web 14 and the horizontal web 16. As shown, the peaks 18 may be somewhat concavely formed along the radial length thereof.

The ridges 17 terminate at one end of the vertical web 14 in spaced relationship with respect to the top 11. At the other end, the ridges 17 terminate in the horizontal web 16 in predetermined radial spaced relationship with respect to the terminal edge 19 of the flange 12 so as to provide outboard to the ridges 17 a terminal flange portion defining an annular protective lip 21 having a smooth surface. The protective lip 21 is inclined downwardly rela tive to the horizontal web 16 and outwardly to the vertical web 14. Preferably the lip 21 is inclined at an angle less than 45 relative to the vertical web 14.

The crown 10 is applied to the pouring lip of a bottle B in the usual manner by forcing the horizontal web 16 downwardly as shown in FIG. 3. The downward force causes the vertical web 14 to be inclined inwardly so that the lower end generally along the line of juncture 20 of the vertical and horizontal webs 14 and 16 is forced beneath the crown retaining means C of the bottle B as shown. The ridges 17 formed in the flange 12 serve their usual function of stiffening the latter so that when the horizontal web 16 is bent the crown is sealingly held on the pouring lip.

When the horizontal web 16 is forced toward the vertical it curls somewhat and at the same time the protective lip 21 assumes a generally inwardly inclined attitude relative to the line defined by the terminal ends of the ridges 17. As the horizontal web 16 is bent the smooth protective lip 21 is deformed to some extent to permit the deformation of the vertical web generally along the juncture 20 with the horizontal web 16 to allow the clinching about the crown bead retention means C. This deformation results in a scalloped-like configuration with valleys 22 substantially in alignment with the peaks 18 of the ridges 17. It is to be noted, however, that the terminal edge 19 faces generally inwardly toward and in spaced relationship to the surface of the bottle B so that no sharp edge is exposed. The lip 21 is curled and inclined inwardly along the entire length thereof beneath the surface of the remainder of the flange 12. Thus the crown 10 in the applied position thereof eliminates the projecting ledges which have been present heretofore so that the hang-up problem resulting in accidental crown removal and damage is prevented.

Referring now to FIG. 4 the crown 10 is shown applied to a bottle D of the type having a helical crown retaining bead means H formed thereon. The crown 10 is applied in the same manner as described heretofore by bending the horizontal web 16 downwardly so that it assumes the position shown. The portion of the vertical web 14 adjacent the line of juncture 20 with the horizontal web 16 bends inwardly beneath the helical bead 11 in clinching relationship therewith and conforms generally to the helical disposition of the latter so that the crown 10 may subsequently be removed by manual twisting. As described in connection with FIG. 3, the protective lip 21 provides a ledge and edge-free surface so that the crown be grasped without the danger of a finger cut or abrasion. FIG. 5 further illustrates the smooth character of the lip 21 and scalloping along edge 19, a characteristic of both crown forms, FIGS. 3 and 4, the surface of lip 21 being predominantly a common surface of revolution throughout its circumferential extent. It is also to be noted the lip 21 is disposed wholly below the bead retention means H and the terminal edge 19 is spaced outwardly from the bottle surface so as not to interfere with the removal of the crown 10.

I claim:

1. A crown for attachment to the crown retention means about the pouring opening of a bottle, said crown comprising a top and a peripheral flange depending from said top, said flange including a generally vertical web portion contiguous with said top and a generally horizontal web portion contiguous with and extending outwardly of said vertical web portion, said flange being formed with angularly spaced and radially projecting ridges extending between said web portions, said ridges each terminating in said horizontal web portion along a line spaced from the terminal edge of said flange, said flange outboard of said line being inclined downwardly out of the plane of said horizontal web portion and defining an annular protective lip.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said annular protective lip assumes a downwardly and inwardly inclined position with said terminal edge disposed inwardly of said line when said crown is applied to a bottle.

3. The invention as defined in claim 2, wherein said lip is adapted for constriction to said position, with angularly spaced lip wall portions along the edge of said lip deformed upwardly and inwardly from the general line of said edge, to define valleys in a scalloped configuration of said lip along said edge.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3, wherein each of said valleys is vertically aligned with one of said ridges.

5. A crown closure for a bottle, said bottle having a finish with closure retention means, said closure comprising: a top; a flange depending from said top and surrounding said finish, a portion of said flange being associated with said retention means to retain said closure on said bottle; a narrow downwardly extending lip at the lower end of said flange, below said retention means, terminating in a generally downwardly exposed edge; and angularly spaced, radially projecting, lengthwise ridges along said flange, the lower termini of said ridges lying in a plane of said flange spaced from said edge, the preponderant outer surface of said lip between said termini and said edge lying in a common surface of revolution outward of said edge.

6. A crown closure according to claim 5, wherein angularly spaced portions of said lip are upwardly and inwardly deformed, defining valleys in a scalloped configuration of said lip along said edge.

7. A crown closure according to claim 6, wherein each said valley is vertically aligned with one of said ridges.

8. A crown closure according to claim 7, wherein said ridges and said valleys are the same in number and equiangularly spaced.

9. A corrugated crown cap for a bottle, said cap having a skirt with corrugations and a generally cylindrical bottom marginal lip extending beyond said corrugations, said lip being free of corrugations and terminating downwardly in a lowermost edge defining a circle.

10. A crown closure having a generally cylindrical skirt, said skirt having two circumferential series of corrugations vertically and circumferentially oflset relative to each other, one of said series being along the lowermost edge of said skirt, said corrugations being smoothly blended into a generally smooth surface between said series.

11. A crown closure as defined in claim 10, wherein inwardly projecting ridges of said one series are substantially in vertical alignment with outwardly projecting ridges of the other said series.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,198,369 8/1965 Jacques 215-39 FOREIGN PATENTS 29,556 1912 Great Britain.

W. T. DIXSON, 1a., Primary Examiner Disclaimer 3,523,624.0ha1-les F. Curry, 'Wilmmgton Del. BOTTLE CROWN. Patent dated Aug. 11, 1970. Disclaimer t lled Sept. 4, 1970, by the assignee, Continental Can Company. Hereby enters this disclaimer to claims 5 and 9 of said patent.

[Ofiicial Gazette Ja'nua'r'y 26, 1971] 

